Food orders up by 12% last year

The number of enforcement orders against food businesses for breaching food safety laws increased by 12 per cent last year.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said some 82 such orders were issued by health inspectors last year, compared with 73 in 2010.

Of the total, 66 were closure orders. There were six improvement orders and 10 prohibition orders issued on food businesses throughout the country.

Closure orders may be served where health officers deem there is, or there is likely to be, a grave and immediate danger to public health at or in the premises, or where an improvement order is not complied with.

High Court action was taken by the authority twice last year in cases where closure orders were breached.

In December, five closure orders were issued.

They were served on: Corn Food Court, Linehall Street, Castlebar, Co Mayo; Regency Hotel (kitchens and bars), Swords Road, Whitehall, Dublin 9; a food business operating from a car and table, Circular Road Carpark, Roscommon; Glenmore Meats, Carntressy, Pettigo, Co Donegal, and Phelan’s Shop, Castletown, Co Laois.

HSE environmental health officers also successfully prosecuted Chicken Bite, 45 Main Street, Portlaoise, Co Laois during December.

The authority’s chief executive, Prof Alan Reilly, said the 2011 figures were “disappointing”.

He said the High Court’s decisions to uphold two closure orders last year were welcome and should serve as a warning that non-compliance with enforcement orders would not be tolerated.

He urged food businesses to make sure they had a food safety management system in place and that it was consulted on a regular basis and updated where necessary.

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